NBA

Carmelo Anthony poured his heart out after becoming the 10th best scorer in NBA history on Monday ... giving a powerful post-game speech about believing in himself and never giving up.

The 36-year-old Blazers star passed Elvin Hayes to reach #10 on the league's all-time scoring list after nailing a 3-point shot early into the 2nd quarter against the Atlanta Hawks ... surpassing the Hall of Famer's career total of 27,313 points.

The moment hit especially hard for Melo -- the future Hall of Famer was considered to be "blackballed" by the league in 2019 ... and he had to fight like hell to prove he was still able to compete at the highest level.

Anthony basked in the monumental moment after hitting his shot ... raising his arms and smiling as he joined names like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant on the elite list of the league's best scorers.

Blazers coach Terry Stotts awarded Anthony the game ball after the Blazers' loss to the Hawks ... and Melo opened up about his long journey back to glory.

"A couple years ago I ain’t think I was gonna be in this moment," Anthony said in the locker room. "I was out the league for whatever reason."

"I’m back. I persevered. I stayed strong I stayed true to myself & now I’m here in the Top 10."

Of course, the 10-time All-Star bounced around the league after spending most of his career with the Nuggets and Knicks ... playing one season with the OKC Thunder in 2017-18 and just 10 games with the Houston Rockets in the 2018-19 season before being traded and later waived by the Chicago Bulls in February 2019.

He remained a free agent until the Blazers picked him up in November 2019 ... and he's proven to be a valuable asset around Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Dame spoke about the impact Melo has left on the team over the past 2 seasons ... saying it goes way beyond the court.

The uniform Wilt Chamberlain rocked during his DOMINANT '59-'60 rookie season is about to hit a sports memorabilia stock market ... but don't stress if ya ain't rich, 'cause you don't need a milli in the bank to own a piece of the threads.

It's a new way for people to own a piece of history without breaking the bank -- with the same kinds of risks and rewards as buying stock.

Here's the deal ... the person who currently owns the Chamberlain uniform is David Kohler, who runs the wildly successful SCP Auctions company, which specializes in high-value collectibles.

Kohler tells TMZ Sports ... Wilt rocked the items for every home game during his rookie season with the Philadelphia Warriors.

The items have been authenticated by the widely respected MEARS evaluation company and photo matched by the folks at MeiGray Authentication, Kohler says.

Kohler has owned the piece for years and has decided the time is right to sell -- so he teamed with the app Collectable to make it happen.

The Chamberlain uniform will hit the market on Tuesday -- with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) backed by the Security and Exchange Commission.

We're told there will be 95,620 shares available for purchase at $10 a pop -- and from there, you can monitor the value like you would a typical stock.

Kohler says he's retaining 25% of the jersey -- which would bring the value of the item to $1.275 mil.

Collectors can buy as many shares as they want ... and resell them (hopefully for a profit) on the Collectable app.

Chamberlain -- who won Rookie of the Year -- averaged nearly 38 points and 27 rebounds per game. No, not a typo ... the man averaged 38 and 27 as a ROOKIE ... in what's likely the greatest 1st season in hoops history.

Blocked shots weren't calculated at that time ... but you can bet Wilt's blocked shots per night would've been absurd, too.

Kohler tells us he believes the Chamberlain uniform is one of the most coveted in sports history.

"This is one of the finest game-worn uniforms known to exist in the basketball memorabilia industry. His rookie uniform, supported by photo documentation that is unprecedented for its era, ranks not only as the finest basketball uniform in the world, but one of the finest uniforms from any sport, period."

Wilt went on to have an absolutely remarkable career ... making 13 All-Star teams and winning 4 league MVP's before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

LeBron James HATES the idea of the NBA's new postseason play-in tournament ... saying straight-up Sunday night, "Whoever came with that s*** needs to be fired."

It's shocking that LBJ and the Lakers are even in a position to possibly need the extra games to lock in a playoff spot -- but after losing 6 of their last 7, it's becoming very real now.

And, James is clearly NOT happy about it.

LBJ went off on the league's new postseason rule after L.A. fell 121-114 to the Raptors ... explaining he believes teams who finish the regular season in the top 8 should advance, no play-in games required.

FYI -- the NBA implemented the new rule this year where the 7 through 10 seeds will have to battle it out to be the official 7 and 8 seeds of the playoff bracket.

The games will start on May 18 ... a couple days before the real postseason tips off.

The Lakers -- who got off to a roaring 21-6 start but have since seen their record fall to 36-28 as they've battled a ton of injuries -- are the current 6th seed in the West ... but they're just one loss away from the dreaded 7 spot.

And, with LeBron -- who's missed most of the last two months with a sore ankle -- still ailing ... it's possible he won't even play in Monday night's crucial game against the Nuggets.

But, LBJ said he won't compromise his health to make sure the Lake Show avoids the play-in games ... explaining, "It doesn't matter at the end of the day if I'm not 100% or close to 100%. It don't matter where we land."

The Lakers have just 8 games left before the potential play-in tournament begins.

Vanessa Bryant celebrated what would have been Gigi's 15th birthday by announcing a new clothing line in her name -- and Hollywood was quick to jump on board in support.

A score of stars posted selfies and photos over the weekend, showing them in Mambacita hoodies and other apparel being hawked by Dannijo ... the company Vanessa teamed up with for this launch.

Some of the famous faces who snapped up their gear include Eva Mendes, Kate Hudson, Jimmy Kimmel, Ciara, Lala Kent, Jennifer Garner, Kim Kardashian, Cindy Crawford, Lily Aldridge, Tia Mowry, Reese Witherspoon, Khloe Kardashian, Ellen Pompeo, Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland ... with even more plugging the brand on their respective socials.

Oh and BTW, the sports world wasn't sleeping on this drop either -- pro athletes like Russel Wilson, Devin Booker, Kyrie Irving and the ENTIRE WARRIORS TEAM (including Steph Curry) were rocking Mambacita wear Saturday ... and Vanessa made sure to shout them all out.

Vanessa explained diving into the new venture by saying she wanted to find a way to celebrate Gigi -- who would've turned 15 on Saturday -- by capturing her spirit ... and she felt putting out an entire line in her memory was the best way to do that.

VB writes, "Gianna was kind, energetic, a leader, and had so much MAMBACITA swag.  When I thought about who would help me capture her laid back yet girly-edge, I thought of female-owned @DANNIJO. Two fun-loving sisters running a successful clothing line, they jumped on the opportunity to celebrate Gigi’s birthday with us, completely pro-bono."

She goes on to say that the details of the line -- even right down to putting #PlayGigisWay on the right arm of each hoodie (Gigi's shooting arm) -- are perfect in every way.

Kobe Bryant’s earliest known, game-worn L.A. Lakers jersey -- rocked by the Mamba during his '96 rookie season -- is about to hit the auction block ... and we’re told it could rake in over $500k!!

Bidding for the awesome piece of sports memorabilia opens Monday at Goldin Auctions ... and Ken Goldin tells TMZ Sports the ultra-special threads have a chance to break the record for most expensive regular season NBA jersey of all-time.

FYI, the current record belongs to Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards jersey from his last ever NBA game in 2003 ... which a collector dropped $570k on.

As for the KB jersey ... it's pretty special.

An 18-year-old Kobe -- fresh off being selected with the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft -- donned the gold Lakers jersey during his 23rd NBA game ever ... when Bryant and Shaq's squad took on the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 8, 1996 at The Forum.

Kobe wasn't (yet) a starter, but played 22 minutes ... and dropped 11 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in the Lakers' 110-86 victory.

And, get this, Goldin Auctions officials say Bryant didn't only wear the jersey once ... they say it's been expertly photo matched to at least 4 games during his rookie campaign -- AND his rookie photo shoot before the season started.

If half a milli's a little too high a price to pay, Goldin says they have over 360 other pieces of Kobe memorabilia -- including a rare, mint-graded '97-'98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Kobe card -- that they expect to go for over $300k.

NBA player Sterling Brown was COMPLETELY covered in blood when cops found him after he was attacked at a Miami strip club ... new police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

In the footage from the scene, which was captured on an officer's body cam in the early morning hours of April 19, you can see Brown was constantly pressing his shirt hard against a gnarly wound on his head to try to stop the bleeding.

Video shows Brown -- who just minutes prior had been reportedly hit in the head with a liquor bottle -- was clearly annoyed with the situation ... consistently being short with cops and brushing off officers who tried to ask him questions about the incident.

Brown repeatedly asked first responders for an ambulance ... and when he got close to one of the officer's cameras, you can see blood was oozing so heavily from his head, it gushed all the way down to the bottom of his stomach.

Eventually, medical personnel arrived ... but things clearly didn't go smoothly as they tried to tend to the Houston Rockets guard.

Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter Jr., had made his way to the scene ... and for some reason, he became argumentative with cops in the area.

Police redacted the audio -- they said in a document it's currently being reviewed as part of an open internal investigation -- but it's obvious the two NBA players were very upset.

You can see in the clip, Porter Jr. was animated ... waving his arms and making gestures toward one of the officers.

Eventually, things calmed down enough for medical personnel to bandage up Brown ... and he was ultimately stitched up at a local hospital.

The NBA said Wednesday it's completed its investigation into the incident ... and hit Porter Jr. with a $50,000 fine for violating the league's Health and Safety Protocols, which prohibits players from attending "indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments."

What's interesting -- despite visiting the club with KPJ, Brown is NOT expected to receive a fine, according to Marc Stein.

The report adds the league's investigation into the incident is officially closed unless further information surfaces that would require the probe to be re-opened.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love just poured his heart out about his bizarre inbound play on Monday night ... admitting he knows he "f***ed up" and apologizing for his outburst.

32-year-old Love went viral for swatting away an inbound pass late in the 3rd quarter against the Toronto Raptors ... easily turning the ball over to the Raptors for a wide-open 3-pointer.

It appeared as if Love -- who's posting career-low numbers this season for the 21-40 Cavs -- had become fed up with the losing and just snapped.

But, the 2016 champ says that's simply not the case.

Love started off his media availability Wednesday morning with an emotional, 15-minute speech ... saying, "My intent wasn't to disrespect the game. My intent wasn't even for the damn ball to go inbounds. It was a moment that I got caught up in."

"I didn't even understand what really happened as the possession even played out. I think I was a little bit dumbfounded."

He added ... "I didn't realize how bad it looked, really, until after the game. I truly didn't ... After that, I just completely shut down. I never want that to be who I am. I don't want to have to be here and defend my character."

Love says he has apologized to his teammates for the outburst ... calling it a "moment of sheer frustration."

So, what caused the disastrous turnover?? Love says it stemmed from blown calls throughout the 112 to 96 loss.

"Not to say too much that could get me fined, but it was the officiating," Love told USA Today.

It's gotta be tough for Love -- he's averaging 11.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 games this season -- and the glory days of the LeBron James-era are long gone.

Love says the moment was blown way out of proportion by the media ... and he really only cares about the opinions of his teammates.

"I take this one on the chin, naturally. I'll do that as a man, I'll do that as a teammate and continue to get better. That's really all I can do."

As for his relationship status with Cleveland?? Love makes it clear he's still their guy.

Police body cam footage shows Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown bleeding profusely from his head in the moments after he was attacked outside a strip club in Miami ... and the footage is tough to watch.

As we previously reported, Brown was hospitalized with serious injuries on April 19 after he was reportedly attacked with a liquor bottle outside the Booby Trap strip club.

Brown suffered major lacerations on his face and head, according to The Athletic, which also claims there was a serious concern for his life.

Now, reporter Andy Slater has obtained police body cam footage showing the moment officers arrived at the scene ... and you can clearly see Brown covered in blood.

The footage, which does not include audio, also shows Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter, Jr., apparently trying to explain the situation to officers and paramedics.

The whole incident was over a vehicle mix-up -- Brown accidentally got into the wrong sprinter van on his way out of the club ... and the people inside decided to beat the hell out of him.

Brown is reportedly out of the hospital ... but it sounds like it could be a while before he returns to the court.

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray is officially on the mend after suffering a torn ACL earlier this month ... and he's showing off his badass scar from surgery!!

The 24-year-old baller went under the knife last week after going down with the injury against the Warriors on April 12 ... and he appears to be in great spirits as he kickstarts the recovery process.

Murray showed off some post-op pics on Tuesday ... captioning them with a positive note -- "Brand new."

Of course, the injury happened in the final minutes of Denver's loss to Golden State ... when Murray's leg buckled after he drove to the basket.

The scene was tough to watch -- even for the broadcasters, who were audibly emotional over the injury.

But, Murray will recover and get back to the court ... just with a new-look knee next time around.

Sports stars like Odell Beckham and Joe Burrow have showed off their ACL surgery scars in recent months ... and it's safe to say Murray's is the least gnarly, so that's a plus for the hooper!!

It's always bad to see any athlete go down, but it was especially tough to see Murray get hurt -- the guy has been tearing up the league over the past 2 years.

"Your wings were ready but my heart wasn't."

That's Karen Pippen paying tribute to her son Antron after he was laid to rest at a funeral ceremony in Georgia over the weekend ... noting, "I will miss you tremendously."

As we previously reported, Antron Pippen -- son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen -- died on April 18, 2021. He was only 33.

In the hours after his passing, Scottie revealed Antron suffered from chronic asthma -- but it's not known if the condition contributed to his death.

Antron was born in 1987 to Karen McCollum -- who married Scottie in 1988 (they split in 1990).

The family held a ceremony for Antron on April 24th -- and afterward, Karen posted a note to her baby boy.

"Son, it has been such a pleasure and honor to be your mother. You've left me with so many wonderful memories that I will treasure daily."

"Your transition has left a huge gap in my heart and the pain is quite unbearable."

"I will miss you tremendously and my love for you is for ever. Rest well, my baby boy, until we meet again."

Scottie was very proud of his firstborn son, who played college basketball at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) and South Georgia Technical College.

"Antron suffered from chronic asthma and if he hadn’t had it, I truly believe he would've made it to the NBA. He never let that get him down, though -- Antron stayed positive and worked hard, and I am so proud of the man that he became."

LeBron James is starting to stack up children's books like championship rings ... 'cause the NBA superstar just announced his second piece of work will hit bookshelves later this year!!

36-year-old James has been writing up a storm after he inked a deal with HarperCollins Children's Books in 2020 ... co-authoring a 40-page picture book called "I Promise" last August, which became an NYT bestseller.

Now, Bron is back with a middle-grade level chapter book called "We Are Family" ... which follows 5 friends with completely different backgrounds and ambitions who team up to "save their basketball season and prove that sometimes getting a chance is all it takes to succeed," according to the release.

The story -- co-written by journalist and writer Andrea Williams -- is based in Ohio, which shouldn't come as a surprise. James has always kept his roots in mind when creating new stories for the youth.

LeBron spoke about the project ... saying, "Everyone has a story and unique set of challenges they’re going through that we don’t hear about."

The 4-time NBA champ added, "'We Are Family' shows how an unlikely group of kids comes together to chase their dreams, despite having the odds stacked against them."

"It’s an important story of family, purpose and perseverance in the face of adversity that I hope inspires everyone who reads it to never stop dreaming and believing in what they’re capable of."

The Kendall Jenner-Devin Booker relationship is still clearly going strong ... the "KUWTK" star hit up MSG to watch her man vs. the Knicks on Monday -- and the dude BALLED OUT for her!!

Kendall and some friends got box seats for the Suns game in New York ... and D Book certainly put on a show for them.

The 24-year-old NBA star scored 33 points in 41 minutes ... and led Phoenix to a 118-110 come-from-behind victory.

And, Kendall was clearly impressed ... cameras caught her smiling and giggling throughout the evening!!

The two began to get cozy about a year ago, when they were spotted on a road trip to Sedona ... and they've seemed to grow into quite the couple over the past 12 months.

They've been seen out on dates plenty of times ... with Kendall even posting a sappy pic of the duo for Valentine's Day last February.

As for any sort of "Kardashian Curse," there clearly ain't one here ... Devin is having a hell of a season with Kendall by his side, averaging 25.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game!!

Devastating moment for Orlando Magic guard Devin Cannady ... who was stretchered off the court after suffering an open fracture to his ankle early in Sunday night's game.

But, the good news?? The 24-year-old baller spoke with his teammates and is in "good spirits" after the gruesome incident.

It all went down with 3 minutes left in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers ... when Cannady hustled down the court to defend a fastbreak layup, but fell awkwardly on his right leg.

Cannady immediately screamed in pain as blood gushed from his ankle ... and teammate Mo Bamba rushed to his side and ripped the jersey off his own back to cover the injured area.

Cannady was taken off the court on a stretcher ... but was able to give a thumbs up to the fans, players and coaches while the entire arena gave him a standing ovation.

The Magic later revealed the seriousness of the injury -- an open fracture to his ankle, which will require surgery.

Despite the heartbreaking incident, Cannady appeared to be as positive as he could be Sunday night ... FaceTiming his teammates from the hospital.

Cannady also tweeted an update Monday morning ... saying, "In God’s Hands, He’s Never Failed Me!"

Bamba spoke after the game about his decision to use his own jersey to help during the incident ... saying, "I just saw my teammate was down, and I just did what he would probably do for me."

He added ... "I just thought quick and I didn't want him to see it. I just took my shirt off my back and gave it to him."

Cannady appeared in 8 games for the Magic this season ... averaging 4 points. His 2021 campaign is over, but here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

Get well soon, Devin!!

G.O.A.T. players fetch G.O.A.T. numbers .. and that's why LeBron James and Tom Brady's trading cards just sold for a combined $3.44 million at auction!!

A King James '03-'04 Upper Deck "Exquisite Collection" Rookie Patch Autograph card -- 1 of only 99 ever made -- sold for $1.72 million ... a record for the super coveted card.

The card -- rated a mint 9 -- comes complete with an LBJ autograph ... and a rookie patch from one of James' rookie Cleveland Cavaliers uniforms.

As for the 7x Super Bowl champ, the Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders #144 Signed Championship Ticket Rookie card -- graded a near mint 8.5 by Beckett -- it also sold for $1.72 million.

Both cards closed Saturday night on the Goldin Auctions website ... after weeks of fierce bidding.

The scary part ... GA founder Ken Goldin says he expects prices to continue to rise.

"Prices for cards across sports like golf, soccer and hockey, and for trading card games like Pokémon, have absolutely taken off and we’re just scratching the surface!”

Donald Trump just went after LeBron James in the wake of his controversial "You're Next" post ... calling the NBA star's words "RACIST" and telling the hooper to stick to sports.

"LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League,” Trump said in a statement.

“His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!"

LeBron tweeted -- and later deleted -- a photo of the cop who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant after responding to a violent altercation this week in Columbus, Ohio.

In his post, the Lakers star captioned the pic, "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY" ... implying the officer should be prosecuted in a similar fashion to Derek Chauvin.

The problem ... some found the post to be threatening, with the National Fraternal Order of Police -- the biggest police union in the country -- calling it "disgraceful and extremely reckless."

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas added, "LeBron James is inciting violence against an Ohio police officer. This is disgraceful and dangerous."

Trump clearly felt similarly, releasing his scathing statement through his office Thursday night.

James eventually offered an explanation for the post after the backlash, writing in a statement of his own, "I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because it's being used to create more hate."

"This isn’t about one officer," LeBron continued. "It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY."

James has been vocal about social injustices and police brutality throughout this NBA career ... leading kneeling demonstrations during the NBA bubble last summer and often providing impassioned post-game and pregame speeches to media about equality.

Tristan Thompson came this close to fighting Phoenix Suns player Torrey Craig on Thursday -- calling the guy "trash" as teammates raced to break up a heated on-court screaming match.

Thompson and his Boston Celtics were beating up on the Suns on the court in a 99 to 86 victory ... but as the final seconds were ticking away in the 4th quarter, Tristan had some words for Craig.

Doesn't take an expert lip-reader to see Tristan calling him "trash" -- while Craig tried to get up in his face.

The two clashed heads and contained to talk smack while teammates and staffers raced to break them up.

Eventually, the guys went back to their benches -- no punches were thrown. They each received a technical foul for the spat.

As the announcers pointed out, the two did NOT shake hands or hug it out after the game ... they probably just needed some space to cool off.